Databroker Jargon Buster: Business Data Lists – Part Two

I am pleased to say that our Business Data Jargon Buster Part One went down a storm. It has been our most popular piece of content to date and I am glad you found it helpful.Part one covered off the Direct Marketing Association, Suppression Services, Data Licences and Data Seeds, SIC Codes and Data Counts. For those of you who missed it will be able to find it on this site by searching for Databroker.

So onwards with the mission to cut the bull and give you, our lovely clients, the heads-up and down-low on baffling data jargon. In part two, I am focusing on spring cleaning and ensuring your data is spic and span and up-to-date. It is that time of year after all. I hope you find it useful, let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions please contact Databroker, we would love to help.

Tele-verification I will start off with an easy one. A data record which has been tele-verified has been called up and the details double checked by a call centre agent. So you know that the telephone number, address details and contact name have had their t’s crossed and i’s dotted.

Data RecencyAs the name suggests, data recency refers to how recently a record has been called up and checked. So a data file that has 24-month recency was gathered or tele-verified two years ago. A file with 12-month recency was gathered or verified 12 months ago and so on. The shorter the recency the better. The more likely the contact details are to be accurate. Recency is especially important in Business Data, due to the regularity of staff changes – think about it; you are more likely to change your job than your house.

On the flip side older data is cheaper and has its uses. You need to weigh up the pros and cons of various options – all of which your friendly list broker (aka Databroker!) will be able to advise on.

De-Dupe“What is a dedupe?” I am told that this is our most common FAQ, so here goes… A de-dupe deletes duplicate records. So if you have multiple records for one customer, a de-dupe will remove the duplicates. This makes sure that you are not mailing, emailing or telephoning the same company twice, which can be both embarrassing and costly. Everyone is a winner.

The other useful reason for a de-dupe is to make sure you are not buying data you already have. So when you are buying new data records, you should de-dupe against your existing customer and prospect data. That way you are only buying net data, i.e. data you don’t already have in your marketing database. Again saving you time and money. Brilliant.

Data Audits.A bit like a financial audit, a data audit will tell you what state of repair your marketing database is in. Only a data audit is FREE! The audit identifies any dodgy records such as wrong contact names or wrong address details. It will flag any records which are on the suppression files such as TPS or MPS etc. It will show companies that have moved or no longer exist, and so on. The audit report will also tell you what you need to do to get your data back into tiptop condition. And more importantly how much it will cost.

Data Cleansing or Data CleaningOnce you have identified the problems with your data with the audit, a data cleanse will put it right. Think of a data cleanse as a spring clean. All the incorrect details will be updated and the dodgy records removed. Therefore you wont be wasting time and effort trying to market to them. Happy days.

Thats about it for our spring cleaning edition. I hope that you have found this blog useful, please let me know your comments. If you have any questions or need free, independent advice on sourcing and selection data for your direct marketing then give Databroker a call or email info@data-broker.co.uk, we would love to help.

Thanks for your time, check back soon for part-three when I will be looking at Actual v Modelled data, CPM and Sales Leads.

John Keating is founder and MD of Databroker Ltd. Databroker are an independent list brokering service providing free advice on sourcing business to business data, consumer data, email lists, mailing lists, international data and sales leads. We have 10 years experience doing this and with our advice you will gain more customers.﻿﻿﻿﻿